Mark Twain, The Inventor...?

Turns out that some of our best known authors could do a bit more than spin a good yarn. Some of them, like Twain, were inventors as well!

Funny, but I just can't see Mark Twain as an inventor. I don't know why, but it's hard for me to get my head around! Especially when you see what he got the patents for. Ready for a surprise?

Mark Twain Invented The Bra Strap 

Photo credit: US Patent Office

In addition to being one of America’s greatest novelists, Mark Twain held a wide variety of jobs like reporter, prospector, and riverboat pilot. He was also an accomplished inventor, taking out at least two patents during his lifetime. In fact, his first invention netted him $50,000, which isn’t bad, especially by 19th-century standards.

Mr. Clemens’s creation was a new-and-improved scrapbook. Twain loved collecting pictures and newspaper articles, but he got tired of dabbing glue onto each individual clipping. Wanting to speed up the process, Twain devised a self-pasting scrapbook. The process involved adhesive strips pre-pasted to the pages. All you had to do was moisten the sticky stuff, and presto, you were ready to go.
Twain’s most important achievement was a stretchy strap meant to keep loose clothing from falling down. With the help of a handy clasp, the strap prevented “vests, pantaloons, or other garments” from sagging. The device was also detachable, so when changing outfits, you could take it off one pair of undergarments and button it onto the next. 

Billions of people still use Twain’s invention, only it isn’t detachable, and it isn’t on vests. The man who wrote Tom Sawyer came up with the elastic-clasp strap on the back of the bra. Somehow I never figured ol' Mark as a scrape book fella, did you? Guess we all need a hobby.

Coffee in the kitchen this morning. Got a few showers coming in!